Thursday, July 10, 2008

This is pretty damn cool and frankly, I need to admit I never thought of soil being a resource before. It makes absolutely perfect sense though.

"This resolution comes at a time when soil is widely undervalued," says Rattan Lal, Ohio State University, SSSA Past President. "Soil, and specifically sound soil management, is essential in our continued quest to increase the production of food, feed, fiber, and fuel while maintaining and improving the environment, and mitigating the effects of climate change.

Being the essence of all terrestrial life and ecosystem services, we cannot take the soils for granted. Soil is the basis of survival for present and future generations."

The Senate resolution passed six months after the European Union's Soil Protection Framework was tabled due to irreconcilable differences among Parliament membership.

(snip)

"My years growing up working on our family farm taught me the value of hard work and the importance of soil," says Senator [Sherrod] Brown [D-OH]. "Often overlooked, healthy soil is vital to maintaining our natural resources and feeding our nation. This resolution is an important first step in cultivating awareness of our nation's soil policies."

I recently read Collapse by Jarred Diamond. That really hammered home to me just how important soil management is, from the perspective of past societies who have failed through failing to preserve it.

In the interests of clarity, I should point out that it's not just about soil; it's about why societies collapse. It's just that, as you might expect, environmental mismanagement is something of a recurring theme.

Oceans in the Classroom Challenge!

A Spineless Biologist

Will describe species for food

Kevin works at the Duke Marine Lab as a researcher at the Marine Conservation Molecular Facility studying the population genetics of vent fauna. He has an M.Sc. in Biology from Penn State where his research focused on marine invertebrate systematics and the community structure of chemoautotrophic foundation fauna at hydrothermal vents. Visit Kevin's personal website, where his CV lives, and follow him on Twitter, Flickr, Friendfeed, YouTube, Nature Network, Amazon, Research Blogging and Facebook.